‘Prove it’ – Rory McIlroy tells Ryder Cup teammates to pay millions in fines

Rory McIlroy has challenged Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton to prove their commitment to the Ryder Cup by opening up their wallets.

Rahm and Hatton incurred fines from the DP World Tour for joining LIV Golf, although both launched an appeal against any sanctions and are yet to have taken a hit to their respective bank balances.

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The appeal allowed Rahm and Hatton to remain on the European circuit and participate in last year’s Ryder Cup, where they prevailed over the United States in New York.

Their respective cases are yet to be heard, although Rahm has stated he has no intention of paying the fine, which he estimated to be around approximately $3million (£2.2m).

Should the issue drag on, it could have ramifications on Rahm and Hatton’s participation in the 2027 Ryder Cup.

McIlroy’s verdict on Rahm and Hatton’s fines

However, McIlroy believes the duo should stump up the cash to instantly put the issue to bed.

By doing so, it would back up the claim made by Europe’s Ryder Cup stars they would happily fork out money to play in the iconic tournament, a stance that was in stark contrast to their American counterparts who, for the first time in history, were paid to participate.

Speaking ahead of the Hero Dubai Desert Classic, McIlroy was quizzed on whether it was easier for Rahm and Hatton to pay their fines than wait for an outcome from the legal case.

“Absolutely, yeah. Absolutely,” McIlroy said.

“My thing is, look, this is my opinion, we went really hard on the Americans last year about wanting to be paid to play the Ryder Cup.

“And we all sat up there and said we would pay to play in the Ryder Cups.

“There’s two guys that can prove it.”

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Hatton responds to McIlroy’s fine comments

Hatton, who is grouped with McIlroy for the first and second round in Dubai, stated he did not have ‘anything to add’ but remained hopeful he’d continue to feature in future Ryder Cups.

“I have always been extremely proud to be a member of the DP World Tour,” Hatton said.

“It is pretty hard to make Ryder Cup teams and I have been fortunate to play in the last four.

“Hopefully I will be able to play more in the future, hopefully the only thing that stops me is age and younger talent taking my spot.

“I don’t have an update to give. It’s still with legal teams and there’s guys that are still in conversations working it all out. So I haven’t put any more thought into that. I don’t really know what’s happening.

“I’m just here to play golf, as always.”

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When is the next Ryder Cup?

McIlroy, Rahm and Hatton along with the rest of the European contingent will all hope for a resolution to the drama before the 2027 Ryder Cup tees off.

The next instalment of golf’s most fabled team tournament will take place from September 17 to September 19 at Adare Manor in Ireland.

It marks the first time in 20 years the Ryder Cup will have been held on the Emerald Isle.

Europe will aim to make it three Ryder Cup triumphs in a row.

In fact, Europe have only lost the tournament just four times since 1995, all of which came on American soil.